Sennewald, Roland/Hrncirik, Pavel Pieter Snayers. Battle Painter 1592-1667

It is a historical stroke of luck that in such a turbulent time as the 17th century, both in cultural and military terms, there was also a rapid development in the pictorial depiction of all facets of human life. Never before in history had so many high-quality paintings been created on the most diverse areas of social life. Towards the end of the 16th century, the so-called "Golden Age of Painting" began, particularly in the Netherlands. Many of the paintings produced also depict events from the war between 1568 and 1648 between the Kingdom of Spain and the Netherlands, which was striving for freedom and independence. However, a parallel pan-European conflict, the Thirty Years' War from 1618 to 1648, also provided many motifs for an entire generation of artists.
One important representative of this period was the Antwerp-born painter Pieter Snayers. His paintings in particular are extremely authentic in terms of military history. In the many siege scenes of cities and fortresses, Snayers depicts the views and ground plans of the time very accurately. His topographical and analytical approach was rarely surpassed by other artists. Even in his depictions of the rather rarer field battles, one searches in vain for major points of criticism. Snayers also shows us the lives of ordinary people in the armies of the time in a drastic and unembellished way. As viewers of his paintings, we are thus able to transport ourselves back to the real events of the time, far removed from widespread clichés. His paintings are scattered all over the world and adorn many well-known galleries. Based on his sometimes large-format paintings, this illustrated book tells part of the story of these conflicts with historical accuracy. To this end, the now well-known author Roland Sennewald has brought together well over 100 international illustrations by the master, resulting in a brilliant testimony to Pieter Snayers' work and at the same time to the battles, sieges and campaigns of the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War, as well as the years before and after.